Search PubMedSearch

Biomedical subjects

J M Olmos

Publications and source records attributed to J M Olmos.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

[Incidence of hip fractures in Cantabria].

BACKGROUND: Fracture of the hip constitutes a serious social/health care problem with very little information concerning incidence in Spain being available. METHODS: The diagnosis of hospital admissions and the diagnosis of release from the traumatology units of health care centers for acute patients in Cantabria were reviewed. The study was carried out from the 1st of January to the 31st of December 1988 and only included patients over 49 years of age. Patients who did not habitually reside in the region were excluded. The following data were collected in each case: age, sex, place of residence (urban or rural), time of the year, side fractured, type of injury, previous contralateral fracture and perioperative mortality. RESULTS: The rate of fracture referred to the population of more than 49 years of age was 277/100,000 in the case of females and 100/100,000 for males. The mean age of women was 80.4 +/- 8.5 years and of men was 76.9 +/- 10.9 years (p > 0.02), respectively. No differences were observed with regard to the place of residence or the time of year. The fracture was left sided in 61% of the females and 58% of the males. The injury was almost always due to a fall. Six percent of the patients had a previous contralateral fracture. Perioperative mortality was 6%. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of hip fracture in Cantabria is similar to that of other regions in Spain and lower to that of parts of central and northern Europe and the United States.

Accidents, Home

Effect of calcitriol on the secretion of prostaglandin E2, interleukin 1, and tumor necrosis factor alpha by human monocytes.

Cells of the monocyte/macrophage lineage express specific receptors for calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3) and secrete prostaglandins and several cytokines with potent effects on bone metabolism. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of calcitriol on the secretion of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), interleukin-1 (IL-1), and tumor necrosis factor (TNF alpha). Monocyte-enriched peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from healthy subjects were cultured in the presence or absence of calcitriol (10(-11)-10(-7) M) and several stimulating agents. After 24 h, PGE2, IL-1, and TNF alpha were measured in the culture supernatants or lysates with specific immunoassays. Calcitriol induced a biphasic effect on PGE2 production by unstimulated cells and increased PGE2 synthesis by cells stimulated with either endotoxin or tau-interferon (IFN-tau). On the other hand, calcitriol inhibited the production of TNF alpha by monocytes stimulated with either IFN-tau or phorbol esters. This effect was not prevented by the addition of indomethacin, IL-1, or IL-2. Under the conditions used, we observed no effect of calcitriol on IL-1 alpha or IL-1 beta production. These results indicate that calcitriol induces in vitro marked changes in the secretion of monocyte products with known activity on bone cells. Further studies are needed to elucidate whether some effects of calcitriol on bone metabolism are mediated by the interaction of the sterol with cells of the immune system.

Calcitriol

Dextran sulfate complexes with potassium phosphate to interfere in determinations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

The interference of dextran sulfate with the colorimetric determination of free cholesterol causes an increase in the absorbance that is proportional to the dextran sulfate concentration in the sample. This makes estimation of the free cholesterol concentration unreliable in high-density lipoprotein-containing supernates obtained after plasma precipitation with dextran sulfate/MgCl2. Analysis of the absorption spectrum demonstrated that the absorbance increase was due to turbidity. We observed this effect with colorimetric reagents based on potassium phosphate buffer but not with those based on sodium phosphate or Tris buffers. This effect is ascribed to dextran sulfate because neither the omission of Mg2+ ions nor their chelation with EDTA prevented turbidity, whereas precipitation of dextran sulfate with Ba2+ counteracted this effect. Therefore, potassium phosphate-buffered reagents appear unsuitable for colorimetric lipid determinations in samples containing dextran sulfate.

Barium

[Phosphocalcium metabolism disorders in patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis].

Several parameters of phosphocalcic metabolism were evaluated in 21 patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis. The serum levels of total calcium, ionic calcium, phosphorus, albumin, magnesium and alkaline phosphatase, and calciuria and calcium/creatinine ratio in 24-hour urine were normal and not change during therapy. The patients with tuberculosis showed a significant reduction in the 250HD concentrations (8.8 +/- 5.2 ng/ml vs 19.2 +/- 10.7 ng/ml; p = 0.002), 1.25(OH)2D (25 +/- 8 pg/ml vs 34 +/- 9 pg/ml; p = 0.002) and parathyroid hormone (intact molecule) (1.9 +/- 0.9 pmol/l vs 5.9 +/- 2.0 pmol/l; p = 0.0001). By contrast, the levels of calcitonin (65 +/- 30 pg/ml vs 36 +/- 17 pg/ml; p = 0.001) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (17.3 +/- 2.3 U/l vs 11.8 +/- 1.8 U/l; p = 0.0001) were increased. There also was a mild increase of vitamin D carrier protein (532 +/- 109 mg/l vs 480 +/- 37 mg/l; p = 0.04). These data are consistent with a partial inhibition of parathyroid hormone, associated with vitamin D deficiency. The inhibition of the axis of parathyroid hormone--1.125(OH)2D resulting from calcium release from the bone is advanced as an explanation. This release might be due to the action on the bone of cytokines produced within the inflammatory process itself. The reduction in 250HD could presumably be related with the lower exposure to sun, which is common in sick persons.

Aged

Vitamin D metabolism and serum binding proteins in anorexia nervosa.

Serum vitamin D metabolites and other parameters of mineral metabolism were measured in 12 patients with anorexia nervosa. Serum concentrations of calcium, phosphate, albumin, alkaline phosphatase, parathyroid hormone, calcitonin, osteocalcin, and 24-hours calcium excretion were normal. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) concentration was similar in patients and normal subjects, whereas 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D) levels were significantly reduced in patients (62 +/- 17 vs 82 +/- 17 pmol/l); p less than 0.05). The concentration of vitamin D-binding protein (DBP) in patients was normal, but serum binding capacity (Nmax) was diminished in anorectic patients (2.05 +/- 0.50 vs 2.53 +/- 0.51 mumol/l; p less than 0.05). The diminished serum binding capacity, in spite of normal concentrations of albumin and DBP, reflects the presence of qualitative rather than quantitative defects in serum transport proteins. Since the reduction in 1,25(OH)2D and serum binding capacity was quantitatively similar, it is likely that free 1,25(OH)2D levels would be normal.

Adolescent

Is the routine measurement of ionized calcium worthwhile in patients with cancer?

This study was undertaken to analyse the relationship between total calcium (TCa) and ionized calcium (ICa) in patients with cancer, and to assess the clinical value of routine measurements of ICa in these patients. Serum TCa, ICa, albumin, proteins and creatinine were measured in 188 adult patients with solid malignant tumours. Most of them were out-patients, the Karnofsky score being 80 or above in 67%. The correlation coefficient between ICa and TCa was 0.85 (P less than 0.001) and did not improve after correcting TCa for protein concentration with several published formulae. Although TCa measurements had a global diagnostic accuracy (percent of patients correctly classified) of 90%, they failed to identify a substantial proportion of patients with increased levels of ICa (57% for uncorrected TCa, and 27-57% for protein-corrected TCa). However, the finding of slightly increased ICa levels did not seem to predict the development of frank hypercalcaemia and did not impair the prognosis. According to these results, the routine measurement of ICa in unselected patients with cancer has no clinical usefulness.

Aged

Sex and age distribution of 1,25(OH)2D3 receptors in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from normal human subjects.

Specific receptors for 1,25 Dihydroxyvitamin D3 have been described in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). We have tried to find out whether these receptors could show any difference in sex or age distribution. Twenty two healthy men aged 21-66 yr (mean +/- SD 41.0 +/- 13.6) and nineteen healthy women aged 22-60 yr (38.9 +/- 13.9) have been studied. The mean dissociation constant (Kd) was similar in both sexes (1.35 +/- 0.70 x 10(-10) M in males, 1.13 +/- 0.66 x 10(-10) M in females), but the concentration of binding sites (Nmax) was significantly lower in females (2.32 +/- 0.92 fmol/10(7) PBMC vs 4.43 +/- 1.38 fmol/10(7) PBMC in males; p = 0.0001). Neither Kd nor Nmax were significantly correlated with age. No difference was found between pre and postmenopausal women. Further studies are needed to elucidate if this sex difference in PBMC receptors for 1.25 Dihydroxyvitamin D3 is of any pathophysiological relevance.

Adult

[Pathologic fracture of the sternum in a patient with anorexia nervosa].

It has been observed that anorexia nervosa (AN) patients present osteoporosis (OP) although the mechanism by which it occurs is not well known. The reduction in calcium intake as well as a decrease in estrogen production which is associated with involutive OP, could be involved. We have found in the literature 16 cases of AN and OP, one of which presented a fracture of the sternum. We now present another case of fracture of the sternum. This implies a high incidence of this type of fracture in OP due to AN which is extremely rare in involutive OP, which suggests that the ethiopathogenic factors of the former are different from those of the latter.

Adolescent

Impaired monocyte function in primary biliary cirrhosis.

A study was carried out on the chemotactic capacity and monocyte adherence in 11 patients with Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC); 26 cases of Alcoholic Liver Disease (CALD); 18 cases of Chronic Active Hepatitis (CAH) and 43 controls. Overall, the chemotactic response was depressed in all patients and was correlated with the degree of hepatic affectation only in the CALD and CAH cases. In PBC, a chemotactic defect could be observed against all the chemoattractant agents employed, the sera from these patients being unable to inhibit the movement of control monocytes. In contrast, in CADL and CAH no disturbance was observed in locomotion against homologous activated serum whereas the serum of those patients was able to inhibit the chemotaxis of control monocytes. The adherence capacity was only depressed in the PBC patients. Our results suggest that in PBC there is a functional monocyte disturbance which in contrast to the situation in other hepatopathies, seems to be primary and may arise at the cellular level.

Adult

Monocyte function in the elderly.

Monocyte function was studied in 20 hospitalized elderly and 23 young adult subjects. 99mTc-monocyte chemotaxis, glass adhesion, S. aureus 14C-alanine phagocytosis and 51Cr-erythrocyte cytotoxicity (Natural Killer) (NK) and Antibody-mediated (ADCC) activities were studied. Monocyte function, as determined by the above test, was not significantly depressed in the elderly when compared with the young adult control group. Our results suggest that the immunologic abnormalities and the increased risk of infections observed with aging cannot be attributed to a deficit in monocyte function.

Adult